Method and apparatus for dyeing textile articles



F. R. FRENZEL May 1, 1962 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 23, 1958 FIG. 2.

May 1, 1962 F. R. FRENzEL 3,032,383

METHOD AND APPARATUS EoR DYEING TEXTILE ARTICLES Filed May 23, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F IG. 72.

Unite States This invention relates to means for dyeing textile articles, such as hosiery, so that they are given areas of gradually varying colours.

Ladies stockings are known, which are given a shade of colour by dyeing the back of the stocking up to the longitudinal middle line at the front thereof with a darker colourrwith a decreasing darkness towards said front middle line. The soft impression of the leg of the wearer of said stocking is however only apparent when the stocking is seen from the front, while when seen from behind the stocking is only dark and may even have the opposite effect by the increasing brightness toward the sides of the stocking. Y

The main object of the invention is to provide means by aid of which especially ladies hosiery, but also bathingsuits, jumpers or similar articles of dress may advantageously be dyed so that they are given a shade of gradation of colour, which when the stocking is put on the leg gives the latter a more pronounced rounding.

A further object of the invention is to provide means by which the stockings or the like are dyed to give said stockings a soft impression seen from the front as well as from behind, by dyeing the stocking along opposite longitudinal side areas only with a varying for instance decreasing tone from the sides of the stocking.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for dyeing the sides of the textile article to different extent, with different colour or darkness. A stocking may in this manner be coloured to correct knock-knees and bandy-legs respectively by diierently `dyeing the inner or outer side of the stocking. A bathing suit may in similar way be coloured -to bring some parts of the body into stronger relief or making the same less apparent.

Another object of the invention is to provide a substantially inverted V- o1' U-shaped support structure or frame composed of two bars or boards on which the article is drawn and which cooperates with a member parallel with the said frame and adapted from outside to urge the fabric between said bars or the edges of said boards upwardly to give the article substantially an inverted V- or U-shape before immersing the same partially into a dyers bath.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a support structure or frame by which stretching of the fabric is avoided. For this purpose said bars or boards of the frame are hinged together along a longitudinal axis of the frame so that said bars or boards will move towards each other when said intermediate outside member engages with the fabric to form said inverted V-shape.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for tilting the support structure around its longitudinal axis so that the article will be unsymmetrically immersed in the dyers bath and one `downwardly projecting edge of the inverted V-shape will dip deeper into the bath than the other with the result that one side of the stocking or the like will be dyed to a larger extent than the other.

Still another object of the invention is to provide for differently `dyed areas by suitably shaping the bars or boards of the frame on which the article is drawn and said outside member.

The above and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of some preferred embodiments shown on the accompanying drawing. In

the drawing @icm ri if@ FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partly in vertical section, of an apparatus for dyeing stockings;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to that in FIGURE l and showing the members in other position;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of a support structure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view, taken on the line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view taken on'the line V-V of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view taken on the line VI--VI of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional View, similar to FIG. 4, but embodying a modification;

FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view, similar to FIG. 7, but showing a second position corresponding to that of FIG. 5; Y

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view, similar to FIG. 4, but embodying a further modification;

FIG. l0 is a schematic sectional view, similar to FIG. 9, but showing a second position corresponding to that of FIG. 5, and taken on the line X-X of FIG. 1l;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary elevational view of the stocking form shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 with portions of the stocking broken away; and

FIG. l2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, as seen in direction XII-XII of FIG. 1. The support structure or frame according to the invention is used for all around closed articles such as stockings, jumpers, bathing-suits, skirts or the like. Of course said articles include such Ithat may temporarily be made closed. For sake of simplicity the following description is restricted to stockings as any other similar article may be treated in an analogous manner.

The apparatus according to FIGURES 1 and 2 for dyeing of articles of the type described comprises a trough 1 for a dyers bath in or outside of which a pair of synchronously driven conveyor chains Z, 3 move preferably continuously. A suppor-t structure or frame 11 for a stocking 12 (see FIGS. 4-10) drawn on thersame is pivotally mounted in a bracket 13 on lthe chain 2. A rearwardly projecting arm 14 of the frame V11 carries a roller 15 which runs against the underside of a guide bar 16 along the conveyor chain. Said guide bar 16 has an upper return portion with a guide 16" to prevent the stocking frame 11 from falling down during the return trip; and an upwardly bent portion at 16' permitting the support structure to belowered into the bath during a suitable period of time as said roller passes said portion l16 of the guide bar.

The frame may also be constructed in different ways to provide for a substantially inverted V- or U-shape of the article to be treated as is shown ,for instance in FIG- URE 5.

A transverse member in the form of a bar 21 outside the stocking drawn on the frame 11 and supported by said chains 2 and 3 of the conveyor engages with the stocking fabric between the shanks of said V- or U-shape so that only relatively small areas of the fabric held down by said Shanks are permitted -to be immersed into they bath. Thus only these areas will be dyed. Y At the following raising of the frame which preferably is carried out very slowly the dyeing will increase towards the lowest portion of said areas.

The frame may either be provided with mutually movable bars or boards (FIGS. 4 and 9) or be rigid (FIG. 7).

A foldable frame shown in FIGURES 4, 5 and 9, 10, ll comprises two bars 17 or boards 1S made of wires or shee-t material, said bar-s or boards being connected to each other by a hinge 19, 19. An interconnected spring 20 tends to move said foldable parts of the frame apart.

When the stocking is drawn on the frame it will take up a triangular cross section as shown in FIGURE 4 or a flat shape as shown in FIGURE 9. In dyeing condition said bar 21 is moved in between the bars 17 or'boardsl of 'the frame against the fabric as is shown in FIGURES 5 and 10 respectively so that turned over edge areas of the stocking project downwardly at 12. When in this condition the stocking is slightly immersed into the dyers bath only said downwardly projecting turned over areas be dyed and at the subsequentpsuitably slow lifting f fthe stocking the colour will gradually increase from the undyed portion of the stocking to said edge areas so that an even change of colour is obtained.

It is to be noted that in the embodiments shown in FIGURES 5 and 10 the side parts 17 or 1S of the frame by pressing in the member 1 will move towards each other against a bias force and the stocking fabric will be subjected to little or no stretching.

A rigid frame is shown in FIGURES l7 and 8 and comprises a half cylindrical plate 23 having its open side turned downwardly towards the bath and as before an outside member 2,1 presses the underside of the stocking fabric into the concave space of said plate to lform said V-shape.

To obtain varying degrees of dyeing on opposite sides of the article the frame is turnable about anaxis Ysubstantially parallel with its length as is shown in FIGURES 3 and 6 where an adjustable pivot connection is inserted between the proper support structure 11 and the arm d4. The pivot connection comprises a stationary member 23 that has a central hole, and a pivot 23' which is frictionally engaged-in the central hole.

The member 21 coacting with the frame 11 may be arranged in different ways although it is shown as Va bar 21 (FIGS. 1 and 2) extending over the bath.

It is to be noted that the new means according to the invention may be carried out modified in different manners and that the described embodiments are given as examples only. Said means may be used in a continuously operating apparatus as well as for intermittent operation. Thus the suppor-t structure or frame may be made as units to be individually immersed into the dyers bath and the member coacting with the support structure may be connected -to said structure or separated from the same.

What I claim is:

1. A method forrdyeing, with a liquid, opposite dened areas of a textile article of the type described, comprising the steps of drawing the textile article on an elongated structure including two spaced side portions, moving an elongated member parallel with said elongated structure and disposed between said side portions transversely to a plane through said side portions so as to engage the part of the textile article extending between said side portions to displace said part to an inverted V-shape, and applying the dyeing liquid to the legs of said V-shaped part.

2. A method for dyeing, in a bath, opposite defined areas of textile articles of the ltype described, comprising the steps of drawing the textile article on an elongated structure including two spaced side portions, deforming the textile article to an inverted V-shape with said side portions forming the legs of said V-shape, and immersing said textile article in its inverted V-shape into a bath to a predetermined depth with only the legs of 'said V-shaped part immersed into the bath.

3. In an apparatus for dyeing textile articles 'of the type desecribed,means operable for supporting the textile article for dyeing two opposite defined areas thereof comprising in combination, an elongated structure for drawing the textile article thereon, said elongated structure including two side parts hinged to each other to swing about a longitudinal axis, resilient means urging said side parts apart, and an elongated member parallel with the longitudinal side edges of said parts and movable in between the same transversely to a plane through said side edges and operable so as to engage the part of the textile article extending between said side edges to displace the same into a V-shape.

4. Apparatus for dyeing dened opposite areas of textile articles of the type described, comprisingin combination, a receptacle Vfor a dyeing bath, conveyor means running along said receptacle,l an enlongated structure for drawing the textile article thereon and having laterally spaced side portions forming a free area therebetween, said elongated structure being pivotally supported by said conveyor means and movable between an upper and a lower position, an elongated member supported by said conveyor means and extending horizontally over said receptacle and being disposed parallel with said elongated structure between the side portions thereof, at a predetermined level above the edges of said side 4portions in said lower position of the elongated structure. y

5. In an apparatus -for dyeing textile articles 'of the type described, means for supporting the textile article for dyeing two opposite delined areas thereof comprising in combination an elongated structure operable for drawing the textile article thereon, said elongated structure having two side portions spaced apart from each other and defining a free area therebetween, an elongated mem- `ber parallel with said elongated member and disposed between said side portions and movable relative to said elongated structure transversely to a plane through said side portions, so as to engage the supported textile article extending between said side portions to displace it into a V-shape.

6. In an apparatus for dyeing textile articles of the type described, the arrangement of means for supporting the textile article for dyeing two opposite defined areas thereof, comprising in combination an elongated structure `for drawing the textile articles thereon and having two side portions spaced apart from each other and defining a free area therebetween, a carrier for said elongated structure movable in a vertical plane between an upper and a lower position, means angularlyv adju-stable about an axis parallel with said elongated structure for connecting the latter with said carrier, and an elongated member disposed parallel with said elongated Vstructure between the side portions thereof and in a plane above the edges of said side portions of said elongated structure in its lower position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 637,685 vockler Nov. 21, 1899 1,398,444 Grundy Aug. 30, 1921 11,654,064 Zaki Dec. 27, 1927 2,087,319 Gibbs July 20, 1937 2,953,915 Brainerd Sept. 27, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 954,046 Germany Dec. 13, 1956 337,349 Italy Dec. 20, 1934 

1. A METHOD FOR DYEING, WITH A LIQUID, OPPOSITE DEFINED AREAS OF A TEXTILE ARTICLE OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF DRAWING THE TEXTILE ARTICLE ON AN ELON-
 3. IN AN APPARATUS FOR DYEING TEXTILE ARTICLES OF THE TYPE DESECRIBED, MEANS OPERABLE FOR SUPPORTING THE TEXTILE ARTICLE FOR DYEING TWO OPPOSITE DEFINED AREAS THEREOF COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, AN ELONGATED STRUCTURE FOR DRAWING THE TEXTILE ARTICLE THEREON, SAID ELONGATED STRUCTURE INCLUDING TWO SIDE PARTS HINGED TO EACH OTHER TO SWING ABOUT A LONGITUDINAL AXIS, RESILIENT MEANS URGING SAID SIDE PARTS APART, AND AN ELONGATED MEMBER PARALLEL WITH THE LONGITUDINAL SIDE EDGES OF SAID PARTS AND MOVABLE IN BETWEEN THE SAME TRANSVERSELY TO A PLANE THROUGH SAID SIDE EDGES AND OPERABLE SO AS TO ENGAGE THE PART OF THE TEXTILE ARTICLE EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDE EDGES TO DISPLACE THE SAME INTO A V-SHAPE. 